Paper folding machine



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. L. 00X.

PAPER FOLDING MACHINE.

No. 441,646. Patented Dec. 2, 1890.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. L. COX.

PAPER FOLDING MACHINE. v

No. 441,646. Patennec. z, 1890.

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PAPER FOLDING MACHINE. l No. 11,646v Patented Dec. 2, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OErrcE.

JOSEPH L. COX, OF BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE DUPLEX PRINTING PRESS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

PAPER-FOLDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,646, dated December 2,1890.

Application tiled November l, 1889. Serial No. 328,954. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. COX, of Battle Creek, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper-Folding Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,whicl1'for1n part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a top plan view of my improved folding-machine, showing the delivery-tapes and sheets of paper thereon. Fig. 2 is an end view of the folder. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatical sectional View showing the operation of the.

folding and breaking blade. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the folding-rolls. Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical transverse section through the folder, showing the operative parts thereof. Figs. 6 and 7 are details.

This invention is an improvement in paper folding and cut-ting mechanisms, and it is especially designed for use in connection with printing-presses, and its object is to sever a single sheet of paper and fold it into the form of an eight-page paper, and to fold this paper subsequently into quarter size, ready for delivery to subscribers; and to this end the invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings by letters, A designates the portion of the frame-work of the folder, and B B designate tapes running over pulleys b b, mounted on shafts b', journaled in proper bearings on the end and top of the frame A.

C C designate clamping-bars lying parallel with tapes B B and with each other at opposite sides of the center of the press, and hereinafter referred to, the paper being brought directly over said bars by tapes B until stopped by guides C' C', as indicated in the drawings.

D designates a vertically-reciprocatin g cu tter and folder blade, which nioves in a vertical guide-slot D' formed in the end of the machine, centrally thereof, and in vertical guides d d', guides d being supported above tapes B by a bar d2, secured to brackets cl3 of frame A, and guides d' being supported on the main frame vertically below guides d and in line therewith, so that the inner end of blade Dis directed by said guides in its vertical movements, and yet no obstruction presented to the advance of a sheet'of paper on tapeSBB.

Blade D is reciprocated by means of a pitman D2, attached to a pin D3, projecting through slot D', the other end of the pitman being connected to a wrist-pin D4, secured in a slot on a disk D5, which is mountedon a transverse shaft D", journaled in the main frame and rotated by gears d4 d5 from a gear d6 on a shaft E, lying longitudinally of frame A and mounted in proper bearings thereon.

F designates a horizontal roller lying parallel with shaft E and below t-apes B, its inner peripheryv lying nearly in the path of blade D; and F' is a similar roller journaled'in proper bearings just below roll F, with which it co-operates, said rolls being driven in opposite directions by any suitable gearing notl shown.

F2 is a third roller lying parallel with and beside roll F' and driven therefrom and eo-l operating therewith. F3 designates a pair of rolls standing vertical to roll F2 and immediately below the latter, as shown, being driven by suitable gearing from shaft E.

f is a table outside of rolls Fig-and f' is a deoperation the blade is thrown forward toward said rolls by means of a pitman-rod g,which is connected to lever G above its fulcrum, and its other end is slotted and rests upon shaft E; and g' is a stud projecting laterally from the slotted end of pitman g, and whichn is engaged at the proper moment by a cam- IOO disk g2 on shaft E, as shown in Figs. 5 and 7, thus thrusting the blade toward the rolls F F'.

II designates a tucker-blade above rolls F F2, mounted on an oscillating lever 1I', pivoted on a stud H2, the outer end of said lever being connected to a vertical rod H3, the lower end of which passes through an ear a on frame A, and between this ear and the lower end of the rod is a spring Il", which holds the blade normally suspended above the rolls.

h is a bell-crank lever pivoted on a studh', and having one of its arms pivotally connected to rod H3 and its other arm connected to a pitman h3, the other end of which is supported upon shaft E and operated by a camdisk 7L", similarly to the pitman g, as indicated, so that at the proper time tueker-blade II is depressed.

I designates a vertical tueker-blade, which is mounted on the end of a horizontal lever I' in front of rolls F3 F3, which lever is operated by a pitman13 from a cam I4 on shaft E, similar to pitmen g and 71.2.

J designates a pair of movable clampingbars lying parallel with and above bars C C and above tapes B B, said bars being supported byarms jj on rock-shafts J J', mounted above tapes B B in brackets A' A', rising on the end of frame A, and in hangers J4 J4, depending from rod (Z3, as shown.

K designates a crank-lever secured to one shaft J', its short arm being connected by a lilik K' with a crank-arm K2 on the opposite shaft J', by which said shafts can be operated simultaneously to throw bars J J into Contact with bars C C to clamp a sheet of paper lying between said bars. The other arm of lever K2 is connected to the upper end of a pitman-rod It, the lower end of which is engaged and operated by a cam k on a shaft E, similar to the other pitmen and cams thereon.

The operation of the machine in folding an eight-page paper is as follows: The sheet W of paper is imprinted in the press (not shown) with four-page impressions on each side and parallel with each other, as indicated in Fig. 1. It is broughtforward by tapes B B in such position that the blank space between the two inner pages is just below and in line with blade D, this space being in the center of the length of the sheet. The mechanisms are so adjusted that when the sheet has been stopped by the guides blade D is drawn downward, catching the sheet at the centerand drawing it down between two parallel bars N N and giving a first fold to the sheet. The lower edge of blade D is preferably serrated, and just as the sheet W' has been drawn down so much that its end edges are between bars C and J the latter are actuated and clamp the edges of the paper against bars C. The blade D continuing tol descend, its serrated edge irst draws the sheet taut and then perforates and breaks through the same in the center line thereof, thus dividing the sheet into two equal halves. Then the tucker-blade Gr is thrown forward, which catches the halves of the sheet at their centers and tucks them between the rolls F F', as indicated in Fig. 3. Simultaneously with this tucking the bars J J are thrown up, releasing the upper edges of the severed sheet. and the rolls F F' draw the two halves sirnul taneously through them,fold ing them into quarter-size of the original sheet, as is evident. The blade G is thrown back as soon as its tucking operation is completed, and as soon as rolls F F' have drawn the halves of the sheet out of the way blade D is thrown upward ready for operation upon the next sheet brought forward by tapes B B. The rolls F F' deliver the folded halves directly over roll F2, and when the quarter-folded sheet has been paid out from rolls F F' blade II is operated, which in its descent tucks the quarter-folded sheet between rolls F2 F', which immediately draw the quarter-folded sheet downward and give it another fold, reducing its size to one-eighth the size of the original sheet, as is evident. After passing through roll F' F2 the eight-folded sheet drops upon a guide'bar O in front of rolls F3 F3 and between the same and tuckerblade I, which is then operated and tucks the eight-fold sheet between rolls F3 F3, by which it is folded yet again into a sixteenth size of the original sheet. From rolls F3 F3 the folded sheet passes out upon the table, where they are laid by the delivery-fly. The several tucker-blades, as soon as they have completed their operation on the one sheet, are drawn back out of the way until another sheet is brought forward for their operation. By this means it will be seen that I take a single sheet, fold it into equal halves, and then cut or sever these halves at one operation by'one blade, then by a pair of rolls fold these halves into quarter size, then by a succeeding pair fold these quarter size into eighth size, and then by a final pair fold these eighth size into sixteenth size. In other words, the paper, if an eight-page newspaper, is delivered upon the table properly paged and folded into quarter size of its pages for distribution.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent thereon, is-

1. In a paper-folding machine, the combination of delivery-tapes for bringing forward a sheet of paper, with a reciprocating blade moving between the tapes and adapted to draw a sheet of paper oif the tapes, fold it in halves, and break the halves apart independently of the tapes or feed-rolls, and 1nechanism for clamping the edges of the sheet as the knife breaks through the same, substantially as specified.

2.' In a paper-folding machine, the combination of the delivery-tapes, the vertically reciprocating blade lying parallel with said tapes, and the clamping-bars at each side of said blade, whereby the sheet is folded in halves and broken in two at one operation of said blade, substantially as and for the purpose described.

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and mechanism for operating the same, for 15 the purpose substantially as described.

5. The combination of the vertically-reciprocating blade D, the clamping-bars C and J, and the horizontal rolls F I1" below .the same, with the delivery-tapes and the sucker-blade 2o G, all substantiallyT as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as` my own I aiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOSEPH L. COX. Witnesses:

A. E. DOWELL, P. T. BROOKS. 

